John fbitz



i s, FRITZ. Processes of Utilizing Old Railroad-Rails. 145,166, Patented Dc.2,1873.

. WITNESSES: INVENTOR:

Val/} V4612 By gp .Attarneys.

U ITED TAT S To all whom it may cancer-n: Be it known that I, GEORGE FRITZ, of the ,city of Johnstown, county of Oambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Utilizing Old and Imperfect Rails and Rail Ends of Steel and Homogeneous Iron; and that the following is a true, full, and exact descriptionthere of, reference being had to the accompanying s drawing.

f to compress, at successive passes, the flanges B B and the head 0 G in the direction of the arrows, and at the same time to hold up the metal at the points E E A A, so that it would not fold over upon the stem D for any such folds would leave seams or G01( shuts in the finished bar, or else such folds would have to be united by welding, and the object is to utilize such metals as are not readily welded by rolling.

The process by which railway-bars have been thus reduced to flat bars by means of grooves of gradually-decreasing depth willbe readily understood by persons skilled in the art, and the said means and process of invention.

It will be obvious that, while rails with thick, narrow flanges may be reduced in this manner to sound, flat bars, thin and wide flanges, like those shown in the drawing, will have a strong tendency to fold over during the process; and, also, that while the flange and head are very much elongated by the compression of the rolls upon them, the stem 1) receives little or no elongation from the for this purpose have been so arranged as rolling crop-ends form no part of my present- PATENT OFFICE;

* GEORGE FRITZ, DECEASED, OF J OHN STOWN, PENNSYLVANIA; JOHN FRITZ,

JAMES MCMILLEB, AND WILLIAM R". TUCKER, EXEGUTORS.

, IMPR OVEMENTIIV THE PROCESSES OF UTILIZING OLD RAILROAD-RAILS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 145.166,. dated December 2, 1873; application filed July 17, 1873.

compression of the rolls, as the rolls barely touch it, but has to be stretched lengthwise by the pull of the elongating head and flange upon it. This action obviously tends to buckle and wrinkle the bar and to form cold-shuts in it at the points where the flange joins the stem.

My improvement-s consist in preparing old and imperfect rails and rail ends of steel or homogeneous iron for being rolled by the means described into sound bars of smaller section, by removing the exterior parts of the flanges B B at or about the lines A A, so that theremaining parts of the flanges shall be about the width of the head of the rail.

The exterior of the flange can be readily slitted off in a modification of the ordinary slitting-rolls, as commonly used for iron and steel. The flange may, however, be out off by a press, or by shears, either hot or cold;

The method and means of removing the flange forms no part of my invention.

It is obvious, for the reasons already mentioned, that the greater number of old and imperfect steel rails and rail ends are of such shape as to be incapable of being utilized by the rerolling process described.

The process of slitting apart the head, stem, and flange, so as to form three small bars, which may subsequently be rerolled, is very wasteful, in the case of short rail ends especially, as the bars thus formed are too light to be rolled into the usual sizes of barsteel.

Homogeneous iron and steel rails are not, and cannot be, as far as I am aware, manufactured into sound bars by piling and weld ing. My improvement is, therefore, of much value to iron-masters and railway companles.

I am aware that the flanges of iron rails have been trimmed off for'the purpose of getting the rails into such shape that they would lie flat in a pile for welding, while my invention is especially designed to obviate Welding.

I do not claim the cutting off of the flange by itself, nor the rerolling of the rail; but old rails and rail ends of steel or homogeneous my improvement consists in the aggregate opiron by removing the prominent edges of the eraitions I perform for the definite purpose I flanges and subsequently rolling. I have mentioned. GEORGE FRITZ.

What I claim 7 and desire to secure by Letters Witnesses: Patent, 'is- J NO. GOURNER, The process herein. described. of utilizing E JAMES Porrs. 

